The Algonquin Tribe

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Transcript of The Algonquin Tribe

The Algonquins a their own language they call, “Anishinabe”. Their language is still spoken today in Quebec and eastern Ontario. The Algonquin language is very interesting. Would you like to learn a few basic words?

Kwey = Hi Megwetch = Thank you Madjashin= goodbye Sigwan = spring Nibin = summer Tagwagi = autumn Pibon = winterThe Algonquin TribeRegion, Landmark & ClimateDifferent tribes have different climates and regions they live in. The Algonquins had to face both hot and cold climates since they lived in southern Quebec and eastern Ontario, an area that faces all four seasons like we do today. These seasons include winter, spring, summer and fall. They had everything they needed for the seasons coming up. For instance, they used warm fur coats made from animal skins in the winter. The natural region that the Algonquins fall under is the Great Canadian Shield. From where they live, they had tons of luscious land to live on! Culture, Religion & Spiritual BeliefsThe Algonquins were a very religious tribe that had many spiritual beliefs. They had two very simple rules of life; Respect every living and nonliving organisms, and to follow the circle. The circle was the way of Algonquin life. All plants, animals and humans evolved around it.The Algonquins believe that the circle is the way everyone evolves and the way everything grows. The Algonquins also had many beliefs. The one very significant belief included the creation of the world. The Algonquins thought that at the beginning of the world animals were masters all living in peace. Eventually the animals started to fight and the earth was being destroyed. Then the ruler Kichi Manito grew very mad. He told the animals that to revive the world one of them would have to dive in the lake and bring back a handful of mud. Many animals like the duck, the loon, the otter,the mink and the beaver tried but each of them failed. Finally the muskrat tried and didn't come back for three whole suns. Everyone thought he was dead. Then finally the muskrat came up with a handful of mud. He handed Kichi Mantio the mud and the new world formed.

The Algonquins were very proud of their religion and followed it all the time. The greatest impact on their religion was the great force, “ Kitchi Manitou”. As practiced in their religion the Kitchi Manitou was the most powerful force and caused events to happen. All Algonquins were taught that the great spirit was lying in all living and nonliving objects. For example,If someone got sick, that person have been thought to have committed sin and unpleased Kichi Manitou. The only people that could contact with the great spirits were the “Shamans” or the “Medicine Man”. They would perform rituals and ceremonies to please this spirit.

GovernmentThe Algonquin people’s government was a monarchy. The chief would not be elected. Instead, the role would be passed down from father to eldest son. If the current chief did not have a son, it would be passed down to the eldest son-in-law. However, the method that was used to make decisions was very democratic. The chief was not a decision maker, he was just a spokesperson that the people respected. The only thing the chief would do was overlook the committee meeting and display the decisions that had been made. This is the method used for decision making. The other committee members would vote and the final decision would be consensual, which means everyone would have agreed with it.

Daily life of AlgonquinsThe Algonquins were very busy people. They worked for their families day and night. The women would stay at home rather than work. They would cook meals for their family and clean their wigwams (houses). Women would also plant flowers in their garden. Men would go outside and hunt in the forest. They would hunt animals like, deer, rabbits and birds. The children would go to school and some would help their parents. The girls helped their mother while the boys hunted with their father.TransportationThe Algonquins had many ways of getting from one place to another. In the winter, they used sleds, toboggans and snowshoes to help them travel in the cold deep snow. With the help of snowshoes, their feet didn't get stuck in the snow. Their sleds used about a pack of dogs for power. They also had vehicles to help them in the water. They had canoes such as Dugout canoes, Bark canoes and Plank canoes to help them travel around for trading with our country's or tribes. Since the Algonquins used canoes to trade goods, they had to be light. Another way for traveling was using horses. However horses were used after the colonists brought them from Europe. These were all efficient ways for the Algonquins to travel! Entertainment, Recreation & ArtsThe Algonquins had many of methods entertaining themselves. They came up with games, visual arts and dramatic arts. Their games included "Hunt the Button", "Shinny", "Cats Cradle" and many more ball games. The Algonquins were also some very artistic individuals. The enjoyed doing many arts and crafts. For example, web-weaving, bead work, basketry, oil paintings and wampum were all their favorite crafts. Wampum are small cylindrical beads made from shells, strung together and worn as decorations or even money. The Algonquins also have many forms of dramatic arts. They include, dance, music and plays. One example of a cultural dance is a "pow wow". here's is how one looks.

LanguageHealthThe Algonquins used many natural resources to heal or cure different illnesses and diseases. For example, they would use the forest to collect a variety of herbs and plants to cure sicknesses. Animal’s fur was used as bandages to protect open wounds. They also had a village doctor called a Shaman who would cure diseases using herbs and/or spells.They used herbs like Actaea Rubra to heal stomach pains. Famous PeopleOne of the heroes to the Algonquins was a man named Glooskap. The tribe respected this man and represented him as hero, transformer and a mythical god. He was also important to the Abenaki in Usa, people in Canada, as well as Passamaquoddy and the Mi'kmaq. The Algonquin people believe that after Tabaldak the creator, created humans, her dust created Glooskap and his twin brother, Malsumis. Glooskap was very nice and caring but his brother was the complete opposite of him. He was evil and ruined everything for Glooskap. As we all know that good is always better than bad and Glooskap turned his brother into stone. There was also an Algonquin myth which was very popular. It was about a princess named Pocahontas. According to the myth, Pocahontas fell in love with a british man named “John Smith”. Pocahontas soon found out that John Smith was her tribes enemy. But, the two of them stood up for each other at all times. In the end, Pocahontas decided to make peace and saved the day. These are all myths that are significant to the Algonquin people.By: Trisha, Purva & AshmiIntroductionAs Always...ResourcesHere were some very helpful resources:

ResourcesThe Algonquins had a plentiful amount of natural resources. For example,the the fresh water they collected from lakes and streams was used for cleaning,cooking and drinking. Animals were also a useful resource for the Algonquins. The Algonquins always thought that nothing should be wasted. If they ate the meat of an animal, the skin and bones would possibly be used for arts, games or clothing. Another natural resource for them were trees, shrubs and bushes. Fruit from trees or bushes would be used for food. The wood from trees would be used for shelter and fire. Parts from certain herbs wold also be turned into medicine. As you can imagine the Algonquins never waste their natural resources.Interesting Facts1. There were many Algonquian tribes that were divided into their own categories. For example, the Inus, Odjibiway and many more tribes!

2. Do you know the Algonquin myth about the mysterious “Windigo”. They believed that people who are starving in the forest turn into windigos and crave human flesh.

3. Did you know that the great hockey player, Gino Odjick, is an Algonquin?

4. Did you know that the Ojibwa/Chippewa were part of the Algonquian language family and included the sub-groups Ottawa and Algonquin?

Food & ClothingThe Algonquin clothing was made out of fur, bird and fish skin. The Algonquin had their own way of making a dead animal skin to clothing. Deerskin was the most popular choice for clothing because of the abundant deer population in the area. It would have been used for robes, shirts, leggings, dresses, skirts, breech cloths (loincloths), and moccasins. Algonquins had specific clothing or hairstyles to initialize them. Warriors had spiked hair and a tattoo to symbolize who they are and how strong they are. Jewelry was made from different types of animal teeth or claws that would be customized by the Algonquins. They would dye them different colors and sew them onto their clothing as a design. Other commonly used skins included raccoon or elk skin. The Algonquins would also use colorful bird feathers to make hats.

The Algonquins and us share some common foods that we eat today! As they were sharp skilled hunters, they ate many variety of animals by mocking them in order to catch their food. To help them, they used some tools like spears, snares, dread falls and bow and arrows. The hunters would camouflage themselves for better attempts of catching food. Some types of meat that the Algonquins ate were, fish, whale, eel, salmon, lobster, deer, rabbits, monkeys, raccoons, bear, squirrels and moose. Since not all Algonquins were meat eaters they planted many fruits, vegetables, and crop for example, corn, wild berries, herbs, pumpkins, apples, blueberries and corn. These fruits and vegetables were very common amongst them.

Hello everyone! Today we will be talking to you all about the Algonquin tribe. The Algonquins are a very interesting tribe with many unique ideas and specialties. In this presentation we will teach you the Algonquin history, their culture/religion/beliefs, the region and climate, natural resources, their daily life, transportation, famous people and myths, health, recreation and arts and finally their relationship with others. We hope you'll enjoy it!

HabitatsThe traditional house that the Algonquins settled in, was a birch bark house called wigwams. If you noticed, the Algonquins did not live in tepees. During the winter, the village would split up and go to hunting camps and each family would build a cone shaped wigwam made out of birch bark. Sometimes, if there was a huge storm coming up, the Algonquins would build another layer over the wigwam for extra protection. Some materials they used to build their house included, sticks, tree saplings and animal skin/hide. The Algonquins would use the tree saplings or stick and weave them into a dome shape. The animals skins or hide would be cut into flaps and used to decorate the house or even used as a door.The Algonquins had relationships with different tribes and countries. The Algonquins made peace with the French and traded items with them. However, the Algonquins had a few enemies known as the Iroquois, the English and the Dutch. The tribes/people raided their land and forcing them to move out of it. Many Algonquins died because of these people. The main reason the Algonquin and Iroquois fought was because of the need of land. Did you know the French supported the Algonquins because they lived in Quebec?The History of the Algonquins The Algonquins have lived in Ottawa valley for at least 8,000 years before the Europeans arrived. The Algonquins were mainly hunters as of they were known for their sharp skills. The Algonquins made peace with the French but later on, when the English and Dutch arrived, the hatred began. The two nations fought against the French and defeated them as well as the Algonquins. Eventually, the Algonquins lost their land and only had a portion of it to live and grow on. The Algonquins were very disappointed with their defeat, especially the chief/leader, and they worked together to become stronger. The Algonquins leaders were known as the chief, ogima or ogema. A new chief was elected by the tribal council. The council looked for certain qualities such as you needed to be a male, you had to be related to the previous chief such as being their nephew, son, or son-in-law and you had to be wise. The first Algonquin chief was named, “ Antoine Pakwatik,”.

This is a picture of the Algonquins at war with the EnglishThis is a picture of Ottawa valleyWoodFresh WaterShrubsSpirit Kichi MantiouAlgonquin ShamanWigwamChiefTribal CouncilAlgonquin man HuntingWomen taking care of youngFoodClothingAs our presentation comes to an end we hope you were entertained the entire time. After this presentation we can assure you that you now know everything about the Algonquins. WampumGlooskap grants three wishes(Algonquin Myth)The characters in this legend are Glooskap and three Algonquin villagers.

One day Algonquin God Glooskap, promised to grant three wishes to the first three men to reach him. After hearing the news, three men set on a journey which took years. When they finally reached Glooskap, the first man asked for sharp hunting skills and Glooskap handed him a flute. The man thanked him and left. The second man asked for many wives and so Glooskap handed him a bag. The third man was foolish like a child and asked Glooskap for some type of noise that he produced would make everyone happy we they heard it. Glooskap handed the third man an edible root. Once each man had reached home they opened their gifts. The first two men had opened their gifts on their way home and died using their own gifts. The third man kept his gift and when ever he laughed it would turn people's sorrows into happiness.

MORAL:The moral of this legend is to always be selfless and think of others before yourself. Your thoughts or actions may turn against you and be unfortunate.